


The Secret Language of Arctic Violets

by thekeyholder



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romantic Comedy, Sokka (Avatar)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder/pseuds/thekeyholder
Summary: Firelord Zuko is spending his well-deserved summer holiday at the South Pole, as has been his custom for many years. Sokka is having a great time until Zuko offers him an arctic violet, which is traditionally given to one's betrothed.This has to be a coincidence. Zuko couldn't know its meaning. He hasn't proposed to Sokka... or has he?
Relationships: Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 263





	The Secret Language of Arctic Violets

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first Zukka fic. Discovering ATLA last summer was the best thing that happened to me in 2020. I finally gathered the courage to write this, hope you like it!

Sokka was fidgeting on the newly rebuilt port of the Southern Water Tribe, watching the royal Fire Nation ship approach at a painfully slow speed.

“Steady there, son. Jumping around won’t make it dock sooner,” Hakoda said, exchanging a look with Bato. Sokka shook his head, slightly suspicious about that eye roll.

“I just want to show Zuko the newborn penguin seal cubs. He’s never seen them so young.”

Although it had become one of their traditions for Zuko to spend a couple of weeks in the Southern Water Tribe in the summer, this year he somehow miraculously managed to get away for a month.  _ A whole month!  _ Sokka first thought he’d misread the sentence, but no, Zuko’s well-drawn, shapely letters said a month. Of course, Iroh was to take over for this period, as he always graciously did.

So that was how for the first time Sokka would be able to show Zuko baby penguin seals, with their soft, soft bellies and high pitched squeaks. Usually, they were already a few weeks old by the time the Fire Lord managed to break away from all his responsibilities. Sokka knew how difficult this was – as the Southern Water Tribe ambassador, he was always busy as well, but Zuko was way above that level. His wisdom was required not just by his councilmen and nation, but also all the other nations and their representatives. And yet, despite all these demands, he always gave his undivided attention to everyone, though Sokka was proud to say that he enjoyed it to a bigger extent, being the Fire Lord’s best friend and all. 

Of course, this meant that Sokka spent a good period of time in Caldera, which he really thought of as his second home by now. Luckily, however, he didn’t have to deal with the insane heat of the summer, as usually this was when he’d return to the South Pole – the weather would start becoming milder, and there was a lot more daylight, so they could make great progress with building the infrastructure.

The ship had finally, finally stopped and Sokka couldn’t help the smile that spread on his lips when he saw Zuko emerge, a burst of colour with his red and gold robes and his blue overcoat. Of course he could have asked the royal tailors to make him a coat in the Fire Nation colours, but it was a sign of respect to wear the local colours. To be fair, most of Zuko’s winter clothes were blue and made at the South Pole, as he admitted they preserved body heat a lot better than Fire Nation fabrics.

Sokka didn’t mind at all, and he always thought Zuko looked quite dashing in blue.  _ Dashing? _ he frowned at his own thought, but as soon as Zuko set foot on the pier, Sokka was off, running towards him. This happened every year without a fault (that second year Sokka was so enthusiastic they both ended up in the frigid sea), and yet Zuko still looked surprised, but met Sokka with open arms and a big smile.

“Zuko!”

“Hey, Sokka.” 

This hug, the one they always shared when they saw each other again after long weeks or even months, was Sokka’s favourite in all its variations. In the first years of their friendship, Sokka could still cling to Zuko’s neck, but now that he was taller he could smoosh Zuko against his chest. Zuko squeezed him, perhaps a little more tightly than usual, but his eyes held only joy when Sokka let go to have a look at him.

“Wanna see the penguin seal babies?”

Zuko gasped. “Oh, they’ve hatched already?”

“Yeah, just yesterday morning!”

“Let’s go.”

Hakoda cleared his throat, which made Sokka look away from Zuko’s smile and realise that some of the Water Tribe elders were staring at them. Even after all these years, they still feared that Zuko would burn off Sokka’s wolf tail. How hard was it to understand that they were best friends?

“Perhaps the Fire Lord would prefer to rest after his long journey, Sokka,” his dad said with a stern look that meant ‘you’re twenty-three years old, you should be a better host at this age’.

“It’s alright, Chief Hakoda. I slept enough on the way here,” Zuko said pleasantly, extending a hand to Hakoda.

Hakoda shook it, then sighed. “Okay, you two. We’ll see you at dinner.”

They smiled at each other, as if they were still those awkward teenagers, then schooled their expressions at least until they left behind even the last stuck up advisor. Once they were out of earshot, they were free to discuss the news and gossip they had for each other while making their way to the hillside the penguins preferred.

“You know Tao from the kitchens? She finally proposed to the head gardener, Yang,” Zuko said with a pleased smile.

“What, she did?!” Sokka blinked at his friend. “I thought it would be the other way around! Yang always struck me as the bolder one. She always wears those huge flowers in her hair!”

“Yeah, I think everyone was surprised. But I suppose Tao finally summoned some courage, decided to take her shot.”

“It was time.” Sokka snickered. “Oh, I guess we’ll have to get them some sort of wedding present then.”

“Right, the wedding is in two months.”

“We could get something here… there’s this artist. I mean… we don’t have to get the present together,” Sokka stammered, suddenly feeling awkward. What was going on with him today?

“We should. One less thing to worry about, and it will be unique,” Zuko said, unphased.

“Yeah, okay.”

Sokka kept quiet until they reached the penguin seal nest. He signalled to Zuko to slow down. “We have to be quiet, don’t want to scare them. The mother will let us get close, but no sudden movements, yeah?”

Zuko nodded, following Sokka closely. There, in an alcove, a black and white penguin seal mother was grooming her five tiny balls of fluff. Sokka took Zuko’s gloved hand and they slowly got closer, step by step, right to the edge. The mother had noticed them, but not having deemed them a threat continued licking her cub’s head. They kneeled in the snow, watching them. Two were sleeping next to their mother, one was half-asleep while being cleaned, and two were playing with each other, flapping their legs and squeaking loudly.

“Aren’t they cute?” Sokka whispered, looking at Zuko.

Zuko’s was the face of absolute wonder. “They’re so tiny!”

The two cubs who were playing inspected Sokka and Zuko curiously, then flopped onto their bellies and crawled closer to them. 

“Let’s see if they let us pet them.” Sokka reached out and petted gently the cub closest to him. The tiny penguin seal closed its eyes, chirping happily.

“I think she likes you,” Zuko said.

“Now you try.”

Zuko looked uncertain for a moment, glancing at Sokka.

“Here, take off your glove,” Sokka said, holding Zuko’s right wrist and pulling the glove for him. “You have to feel their belly. It’s the softest.”

For a moment, it looked like Zuko had frozen, but then he tentatively reached out and petted one of the cubs with his index finger, the softest white fur of its belly. This cub chirped happily too, and Zuko let out a soft laugh that might have started out as a sigh. 

“It’s really the softest,” Zuko agreed and Sokka grinned, while scratching his own cub.

They played with the penguin seals for a few minutes, Sokka laughing as one of them tried to steal Zuko’s glove, tugging on one of the fingers.

Zuko looked at him, then down with a smile. “I missed you.”

Sokka looked up, surprised. Not surprised at the quiet words, but that they were  _ spoken _ . They always wrote them in letters, but this, saying them out loud, was somehow more real. Sokka didn’t want to admit it, but it was becoming ever more difficult leaving Caldera for the South Pole. They did everything together with Zuko: they had breakfast on Zuko’s balcony, went to meetings, sparred together, relaxed by the turtle duck pond, sneaked out in the evenings, gossiped about the mean council members and read in the library. Sometimes Sokka even slept in Zuko’s room when he was too sleepy to go back to his own room. So all things considered, Sokka felt rather lonely when he was away.

But he didn’t say all that, he didn’t want to make Zuko worry. So he just bumped his shoulder against Zuko’s. “Yeah, me too, buddy. I’m so glad you can stay longer this time.”

They got up, brushing off the snow from their clothes, then started walking back to the village.

“When are the others coming?”

“They’re supposed to arrive a few days before the solstice. I guess roughly in a week. Katara and Aang are going to pick up Toph, though I have no idea how they managed to convince her to come.”

“Erm… might be because I wrote to her, told her I’d be staying longer,” Zuko said, eyes trained on the horizon, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Really? Huh. Should have asked you to invite her before. Remember, we could barely convince her to attend Katara and Aang’s wedding.”

“Yeah, but that was no opportunity for blackmail.”

Sokka stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean?”

Zuko’s eyes widened. “Nothing, nothing.”

Sokka watched him, but decided to drop it. He was getting hungry, and if he tried to pry it out of Zuko, it would get late and he really didn’t want to miss the super formal banquet organised for the Fire Lord.

“There were plenty of embarrassing moments at the wedding, like any good event should have,” Sokka said. “Pakku getting drunk with your Uncle and singing those bawdy songs.”

Zuko groaned. “Those songs haunt my nightmares.”

Sokka laughed. “Or, or Ty Lee incapacitating King Kuei, and then Bosco chomping on her braid.”

“Your dad and Bato making out behind the tent like some teenagers.”

“Urgh, Zuko, why did you have to remind me?!” Sokka rubbed his eyes frantically. “I thought I had banished that memory from my mind.”

Zuko laughed, or rather cackled, like the  _ jerk  _ he was. “It was funny. But also sweet.”

“It’s not you who has to put up with them every day! I thought Aang and Katara gave me the oogies, but they’re a lot worse!”

“Guess people become more sentimental with age.”

* * *

The dinner was a lush affair; nothing like Fire Nation balls, but this was a lot more intimate, and since Zuko had gotten to know most of the guests throughout the years, he wasn’t anxious, and chatted easily with everyone. Of course, Zuko was given the seat of honour, next to Hakoda, and though traditionally Sokka was supposed to sit on his other side, he let Bato do that, and sat next to Zuko, on his left. Clearly, his friend preferred it that way too, if his smile was anything to go by.

“So Firelord Zuko, have you met any nice young ladies? Do you have a girlfriend?” Gran-Gran did not waste any time with her prying questions.

Sokka snorted into his seaweed soup; finally, he wasn’t the target of Gran-Gran’s interrogation about his love life. He had to admit, it was funny witnessing it from the outside.

Zuko, of course, looked terrified. “No, no, there’s no one.”

“What about that gloomy girl?”

“Mai?”

“Tui and La, Gran-Gran, she’s old news. They broke up like six years ago!”

Gran-Gran narrowed her eyes at Sokka, who suddenly wanted to disappear. He could already feel a pointed comment at his lack of a wife, when Zuko cut in.

“Mai is now with Ty Lee. You know, that circus girl with the very long braid. They were here for Aang and Katara’s wedding.”

“The one that was attacked by that bear?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Gran-Gran shook her head. “I don’t know what you boys are waiting for.”

Bato started coughing, but Sokka could swear it sounded like laughter. He watched suspiciously as his dad patted Bato on the back. Gran-Gran also narrowed her eyes at his son-in-law: Bato and Hakoda used to be the victims of her needling before they finally got married. When she was pleased enough with the scared expression on Bato’s face, she turned back to Sokka and Zuko. 

“You should start looking for someone. Can’t just wait for the love of your life to suddenly appear next to you.”

Sokka and Zuko glanced at each other, Zuko suddenly very flushed, while Bato had to stifle his coughing-laughter into a napkin. What was so damn funny? Dad and Bato literally needed ten years to finally figure out that they were dating. He probably was just glad that it wasn’t him anymore listening to Gran-Gran’s admonishments. Also, wasn’t she like seventy when she married Pakku? Of course Sokka couldn’t say that to her, he would be slapped so hard he would land at the North Pole.

Instead he just said that they were still young and very busy with their work, which was true. After Suki, there wasn’t anyone really. Sokka was fine on his own, and he felt accomplished. He could dedicate himself entirely to rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe and forging new connections with the other nations. Besides, he had his friends. And he had Zuko, with whom he did absolutely everything, so he never really needed anyone else. That thought filled him with the most comfortable warmth, and he sipped his drink with satisfaction, listening to all the chats around him.

* * *

Although this was the Firelord’s official holiday, they still had some meetings the following week. Nothing too strenuous, just discussing further trade options and plans to help the economy rejuvenate. This often included Sokka actually showing Zuko what had changed since his last visit. After their visit through the various merchants, Sokka grabbed Zuko by his coat to his favourite meat stall.

The vendor recognised Sokka and his eyes widened when he saw Zuko, but didn’t say anything. He gave them meat grilled on skewers, telling Sokka with a wink that he added a bonus one for his date. Sokka coughed, wanted to deny that Zuko was his date, but the Firelord just said thanks, and then walked towards a bench in the main square.

Sokka jogged to catch up, then almost bumped into Zuko who stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.

“Is that man proposing? With… an ice statue?”

Sokka looked ahead, frowning. Indeed, in front of Nara’s house now stood a statue of herself, and a young man on his knee in front of the real Nara.

“Yep, looks like it.”

“Is that the tradition now? An ice sculpture of the person you’re proposing to?”

Sokka shook his head. “There’s not just one right way to propose, there’s loads. There’s the betrothal necklace, hunting on Full Moon, building them an igloo and so on. Making a sculpture, I guess that’s more of a waterbender thing. The guy moved here from the Northern Water Tribe five years ago, to learn from Pakku, and he decided to stay here. Now we know why.”

Zuko nodded. “So if there are so many traditions, how does one know if they’re being proposed to?”

“Oh, I don’t think anyone could miss such a thing. I mean, surely you’d know if someone felt about you that way.”

Zuko looked at him very intensely, until Sokka had to look away. “Uhm… wanna go anywhere else? Or do you want to get warm before dinner?”

“Let’s go back.” Zuko said, lost in his thoughts.

* * *

Although neither of them said it, Zuko and Sokka spent as much time together as possible before the arrival of the rest of the Gaang. They went on fishing and hunting trips, visited the penguin seal babies every day, and watched the elephant whales play in the water. Sokka thought that maybe it was selfish of him to monopolise Zuko’s time like that, but he knew his friend would never sit in a meeting if he could be out having adventures instead.

On their last day, Sokka suggested that they camp outside the village to watch the sunrise.

“Won’t it be too cold?”

“Dude, you’re a firebender! If I freeze, it will be on you. Besides, it’s summer. It can’t get that cold while the sun dips below the horizon for an hour or so.”

It definitely got too cold for camping.

Okay, so Sokka had probably miscalculated the temperature. He was grumpy, his perfect plan for Zuko now ruined, and he was shivering, teeth chattering even under the blanket. But he would abstain from complaining, because then Zuko would say ‘I told you so’.

Zuko sighed. “Come here, you idiot.”

Sokka didn’t need to be told twice, he put his arms around Zuko, rested his head on Zuko’s shoulder. It was so nice and warm like this, but there was something else unfurling in his chest too, that suddenly felt too large to be contained. So as usual, he appealed to his flawless sense of humour. “I knew you’d be useful for something.”

Zuko snorted incredulously. “Your personal heater?”

“Yeah, since you’re so hot.” Sokka widened his eyes, glad that his face was hidden. “I mean, if you think about it, it’s your fault that I’m not used to this climate anymore.  _ Jerk _ ,” he added, his heart beating fast.

“How so?”

“I spend most of my time in Caldera with you, so I had to adapt to the hot weather.”

There was no jab from Zuko, just silence. Then, a couple of minutes later: “Do you regret it?”

Sokka sat up, looked at Zuko. His expression was guarded, but Sokka knew him better than anyone, and could see the concern. “No, of course not. You know I love living there with you.” Sokka took Zuko’s hand from his lap, squeezed it gently. “Besides, who would keep you alive if I left? You forget to take breaks or have meals unless I tell you.”

“Yeah,” Zuko said, and squeezed his hand back.

Sokka never told Zuko about the nightmares he had where he wasn’t the ambassador anymore, where he didn’t get to see Zuko again. Where he drifted away on a piece of ice, replaced and forgotten.

“You know, the first time you invited me here, I really thought I was going to hate it,” Zuko admitted.

“Thought you were going to freeze your ass off, didn’t you?” Sokka laughed.

“Exactly. I didn’t realise there was so much Sun.”

“Obviously my brilliant plan worked. I knew your jerkbending would enjoy this.”

“And the penguin seals, of course.”

“So they get your  _ seal _ of approval?” Sokka asked with a grin.

Zuko groaned. “Sokka!”

“It’s a good one, you gotta admit it.”

While they were discussing whether Sokka’s pun was funny or not, the Sun started to slowly rise on the horizon, painting the snow in soft pinks and oranges. The mix of warm colours with the blues and violets of the ocean and sky was breathtaking.

“It’s beautiful,” Zuko murmured, and Sokka gulped as he watched the sunlight dance on his friend’s face.

“Yeah, it is,” he said, and if he tightened his hold, neither said anything.

* * *

The arrival of the rest of the Gaang brought with it a lot of excitement and noise. Aang had annoyingly become even taller, so he was now the giant of the group which he only brought up about twenty times a day. Katara was so happy to see them, and Sokka could swear she looked just like he remembered his mother, which maybe brought a tear to his eye, but he blinked it away before anyone could see it. And Toph… Toph was still the most badass out of all of them. Right now she had Zuko in a death grip (which she called a hug), but then she pushed him away.

“You haven’t done it yet?! What are you waiting for, Sparky?!”

While they were walking back to the ice palace that served as accommodation to official guests, Sokka elbowed Zuko gently. “What was that with Toph?”

Zuko looked away, flustered. “Um, nothing important. She’s just been pestering me about… donating supplies to her metalbending academy.”

“Right,” Sokka said, unconvinced.

Zuko was hiding something, and Sokka had no idea what it could be. They shared a great part of their lives and told each other things that no one else knew, but maybe they had to keep some secrets to themselves. After all, Sokka had never given voice to the tenderness that washed over him every time Zuko smiled at him, or how all his jokes were meant to make Zuko laugh, because that was his favourite sound in the world. 

But there was no time to dwell on such things – all his favourite people were finally in one place, and that was reason enough for celebration. There was no party like a Southern Water Tribe party: the music, the dancing, everything was just perfect. Even Zuko danced with them instead of skulking in a corner, like he was wont to do. Well, he did disappear with Toph at some point, probably a continuation of the weird scene on the pier, but when they came back Toph clapped him on the back with a pleased smile, so all seemed well.

There was a lot of dancing and drinking involved – the fruit wines Toph brought as a gift were absolutely delicious, and she challenged her friends to drinking contests. Sokka was not one to back away from a challenge, and he definitely remembered seeing Zuko was still there while he binged on litchi wine, but the rest became a foggy mess in his brain. 

* * *

Sokka woke up late the next day; he had slept in his party clothes and woke up in the same position. His head was fuzzy and he had a headache. Ugh, he could definitely have done without the hangover, he felt awful. 

It was still rather quiet, but he thought he heard some noises from the kitchen. Bato and his dad were looking over some plans for the Summer Solstice Festival – they had retired at a respectable hour last night, so they weren’t affected – while Katara and Aang were slumped against each other in front of the fire, sipping tea. They looked as wretched as Sokka felt. 

"Morning." 

Aang and Katara managed a "mmmh" grunt in return. 

"Anyone else awake?" 

Katara took a sip of her tea first. "Toph is still sleeping, you can hear her snore." 

"What about Zuko?"

"He's left hours ago," Bato chimed in with an impish look. 

"What?" 

"I thought you knew. He said he wanted to go on a trip alone, and I gave him snacks." 

Sokka shook his head incredulously, which made his headache worse.

"Sit down," Aang mumbled, tugging Sokka's robe until he joined them. 

Katara passed him a cup of tea, and Sokka zoned out while cradling it between his hands.

"Don't look so miserable. You know he needs his alone time." 

"Yeah, but he could have said something." 

"You were passed out anyway," Aang said, rubbing his temples. "Ugh, I'm never drinking with Toph again." 

Everyone mumbled their agreement. 

* * *

Toph made an appearance two hours later, looking and sounding more refreshed than ever. 

"What? This is so unfair. We're literally half dead and you look as if you had the best sleep of your life!" 

Toph brightened. "I did actually! Thanks for noticing, Sokka! Can't help it if you guys are weaklings."

"You're a weakling," Sokka said under his breath, but when Toph looked in his direction, he ducked his head. 

"Has Sparky not returned yet?"

"Returned? Wait, how do you know he's gone in the first place?!" 

Toph snorted. “I know everything, Mr. Ambassador.”

“Oh yeah, then where is he?”

“Somewhere in the South Pole. He didn’t say exactly.”

Sokka’s cheeks reddened even more, and he was close to tearing his hair out. “Why did no one tell him this was a terrible idea? He shouldn’t be out there alone!” He looked at his sister for some backup, the voice of reason in this house.

Katara hesitated. “Well, it is summer. It’s never really dark, and it’s warmer too. Besides, he’s a firebender, and he’s gone on so many trips with you, I’m sure he knows not to wander too far.”

Sokka took a deep breath. Katara was right; Zuko was experienced in this climate, and they went on dozens of expeditions every year. He had to trust his friend, and he had to calm down and just wait patiently.

“He’ll be back soon, you’ll see.” Even Toph assured him in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

“Okay, okay,” he admitted. “You’re right.”

Aang poked his head in. “Hey Sokka, do you want to help me with Appa?”

Sokka got up, happy for the distraction.

* * *

They had been cleaning and brushing Appa for almost an hour when Toph came up to them.

“Hey Sokka, I think you might want to wipe that pout from your face. Your Firelord is about to arrive.”

Soka  _ did not  _ blush at the ‘your Firelord’ part.

Before he could retort something, he saw a flash of unmistakable dark blue and red. Maybe it was an instinct buried deep inside him, to run towards Zuko every time they had been separated, because his legs seemed to have a mind of their own. Sokka dropped the brush he had been holding and ran like the wind. 

Zuko stopped, his eyes wide, and braced for impact, as always with his arms open for Sokka. They collided and promptly fell into the soft snow, Sokka clutching Zuko’s overcoat in his fists.

“Thank the spirits you’re okay! What was in your head, disappearing like that?! I was so worried that an arctic bear wolf ate you or you slipped and fell into the sea!”

Zuko looked up, brushing snow from Sokka’s shoulder. “You were worried about me?”

“Yes, you dumbass. Of course, I was.”

Sokka got up first, then reached out for Zuko, who had a nervous smile as he took Sokka’s hands. They watched each other while Sokka could hear their friends shuffling closer, Katara grumbling about Firelords and their lack of communication skills.

None of that mattered, though, as Zuko squeezed his gloved hand. “I… I’ve got something for you.”

Zuko took something out from a secret pocket in his coat, then opened his palm for Sokka. His hand revealed a delicate flower, one with an intense yellow middle, and five dark blue petals which became a deep purple at the edges. An arctic violet. Sokka gasped, because they were quite rare, but also… and he knew this was a coincidence, and it was absolutely impossible, Zuko couldn’t possibly know about this, but in the old legends people would give their beloved arctic violets. They stood for true love, because they could endure even the harshest conditions.

Sokka didn’t let his thoughts go down that path, though. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Katara, Aang and Toph were standing around them, only a few steps away, and even his dad and Bato, who had heard the ruckus, had come outside. Sokka looked at Katara, pleading for a hint for what he should say, but his sister was even more shocked than him.

He didn’t dare look at his dad in case he’d be met with anger, or even worse, disagreement.

So Sokka looked back at Zuko, who was waiting for some kind of reaction from him, amber eyes boring into his. 

“Ah, I’ve never thought I’d experience the day when Sokka becomes speechless,” Toph chimed in, making Sokka even more nervous.

He had to treat this as a normal gift. Zuko didn’t know the significance of his gesture, so Sokka would just thank him and that was it. What a world they lived in, where a guy couldn’t give another guy a flower without marrying him!

“Thanks so much, buddy! Never got an arctic violet before, so this is  _ really _ cool.” 

Sokka gulped around the painful lump in his throat, hoping his voice sounded normal. He took the flower, placing it behind his left ear, almost as a comic gesture. He could feel all his friends and family watch them, and he wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

Zuko’s eyebrows rose, eyes focusing on the flower, and Sokka could feel his cheeks burn under that gaze, so he quickly patted his friend’s back. “Come on, let’s get you to a warm place. You must be starving.”

Sokka did not look at his dad or Bato as they passed them by.

* * *

Dinner was… fine, though definitely not as loud as usual. Sokka poured tea for Zuko, so he would get warm until the food was served, but otherwise he was uncharacteristically silent. Katara, Aang, Toph and Bato bore the brunt of the conversation, while Sokka tried his best to avoid his dad’s inquisitive looks. Zuko seemed alright, even answered some questions about his expedition, although he didn’t initiate any conversations on his own.

After dinner, there was a lull. Hakoda and Bato gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen, while Katara pulled out a boarding game. Sokka was thinking about how he could sneak back to his room without being suspicious when Zuko touched his hand briefly. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Yes, of course.”

They went to Sokka’s room. For a moment, it was very awkward, and neither of them knew where to look or what to do.

“Sokka, I know this must be sudden, but…” Zuko raised his right arm, scratching the back of his neck. It was then that the sleeve of his tunic slipped down and Sokka saw the wound.

“You’re hurt,” Sokka interrupted him. He got closer and took Zuko’s wrist in his hand, turning his hand so he could have a look at the wound. “Come on, Katara will heal this.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“But there’s blood and everything!”

“I’m fine, I swear,” Zuko tried to protest. “Looks worse than it is.”

“Let me bandage it at least.” Sokka looked up, eyes pleading. Zuko finally conceded.

Sokka told Zuko to sit on his bed, then went to get supplies from his bag and some water from the kitchen.

“Warm that for me, please?”

Zuko held a small flame in his left hand under the bowl, until Sokka deemed the water warm enough. He dipped a small towel in and cleaned the dried blood, making sure he was gentle as he rubbed Zuko’s pale skin. 

“Does it hurt?” Sokka asked quietly.

“A bit. But it’s bearable.”

This was not an unfamiliar situation. Although they stayed out of trouble nowadays, sometimes trouble still found them. A few years ago a man who had been a big Ozai supporter tried to fight Zuko and managed to injure his shoulder. They had the palace healers then, but Sokka was the one who bandaged that wound as well. And he was also the one who stayed with Zuko that night, more for his own peace of mind than anything.

“What happened?” He tried to distract Zuko while applying a salve that he knew was going to hurt a lot.

Zuko hissed slightly. “I was climbing, scratched my arm against a sharp piece of ice.”

“While getting the violet?”

“Yeah.”

Sokka looked away, pretended to be very occupied with wrapping the bandages precisely around Zuko’s forearm. Would he have made all this effort just to get a simple flower? Surely not… but no, Sokka had to stop. It was impossible.

“Was it worth it?” The question just slipped from his lips, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. What if the answer was no?

Zuko was startled, but then he grazed his fingers against Sokka’s. It took Sokka’s breath away to see Zuko so flushed from such a simple touch, but he didn’t look away. 

“Of course.”

Sokka could have sworn that they hadn’t been so close before, but now their knees were touching and their fingers were still just barely grazing the other’s. He wanted to take Zuko’s hand, and kiss it with gratitude and all the burning feelings inside him that sometimes felt impossible to contain in such a small space.

But instead he swallowed them down like he always did. “What was it you wanted to tell me?”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it. Whenever you’re ready,” Zuko said with a small smile. “Good night, Sokka.”

“Good night, Zuko.”

* * *

Sokka stayed up for a long time, unable to fall asleep. It was silly to keep thinking about something that was probably born out of cultural difference. Offering flowers was seen as a nice gesture everywhere; however, this particular flower was so incredibly important to the Southern Water Tribe that it had been elevated to the highest status. Given their climate, few plants managed to survive, and most of them were rather drab. But the arctic violet was a beautiful burst of colour, and the pattern was often sewn onto clothing, specifically onto formal wear. Moreover, throughout the years, the flowers had become a symbol of their tribe: the yellow middle stood for the Moon, while the bluish petals represented the sea.

To be given an arctic violet was one of the highest honours that could be bestowed on a person. These plants were just as stubborn as they were pretty – they seemed to grow in the most inconvenient of places. Peaks, slippery mountain sides, all the jagged and dangerous places of the South Pole. So to be given a flower that required so much effort to be picked meant that this person was loved beyond measure. Adored and worshipped, worth everything in the world.

Sokka couldn’t help the hot tears falling from his eyes. Sharp ice shards seemed to have grown in his chest, invisible to the eye, but puncturing him from the inside every time he took a breath. What hurt more, the fact that if Zuko had known its meaning he wouldn’t have picked it for Sokka, or that Sokka didn’t think he deserved it, especially not from Zuko.

Because Zuko was… hard to summarise in words. He was kind and funny, thoughtful and gentle, passionate and stubborn. He wasn’t afraid to tell Sokka when he was being ridiculous, and he was vulnerable and strong at the same time. He was the man who knew everything about Sokka, his irrational fears and his regrets, and his impossible dreams. Sokka trusted Zuko with his life. 

It was very late by the time he fell asleep, and he had stressful dreams. He only got a couple of hours of sleep before everyone else was up and making noise. Sokka rubbed his forehead, willing the headache to subside. He joined the others for breakfast; luckily, everyone pretended that nothing happened the previous day. There was a much more exciting topic at hand, namely the Summer Solstice Festival, and so many things to prepare since it was taking place the next day.

For once, Sokka was glad to be stuck in meetings, to occupy his mind with organisation and strategy. Even though this was just a cultural event, and his presence was probably not necessarily needed, he wanted to forget the arctic violet incidence. When he entered the council room, a few curious eyes followed him, and he thought two of the chiefs were staring at him, but he just glared back at them. He really didn’t have the willpower to explain himself. And even if the Firelord had proposed to him, what of it then? There was no law that the chief’s son couldn’t marry him. Nosy old people.

After the meeting was done, Sokka had stayed in the council room. Luckily, his dad was whisked away by someone who wanted to show him something or other, and no one else dared to question his delay. He wrote down the schedule to keep himself occupied: official opening, speech delivered by his dad, market stalls serving food and drinks all day and night, entertainment provided by Master Pakku’s students and other masters from all over the world. They also had various singers and bands to sing while people enjoyed the bonfire.

Moreover, this Summer Solstice was particularly auspicious: not only was the Sun on the highest position in the sky, but there was a Full Moon too. Such a phenomenon only happened every seventy years, and this occurrence attracted a lot of firebenders and waterbenders to travel here, to experience the fascinating flux of energy. Everyone was aware how much this would mean for the South Pole’s economy, so everything had to be well put together.

“There you are!” Toph shouted, making Sokka jump. “Twinkle Toes and I looked everywhere for you.”

“Oh yeah, I had some work to do.”

“Come, join us for some penguin sledding,” Aang said, leaning against Sokka’s shoulder to peer at what he had written.

“Wait, Trustfully in Love is going to perform tomorrow?” Aang started to dance.

“Yeah, they agreed to do a comeback concert.”

“Ugh, isn’t that the awful band whose concert you took me to with Suki?” Toph grimaced, judging Aang hard. “I thought you had better taste.”

“Yeah, it’s them. I’m not a fan, but people really love them, and we hoped it would attract a big crowd. It took some fine Southern Water Tribe Ambassador charm to convince them to do this gig.”

“Sokka, why have you not told me?! I need to get front row tickets for Katara!”

Before Aang could spiral into panic, Sokka patted his arm. “Whoa, buddy. There are no tickets, it’s a free concert. Everyone gets a front row view.”

“Well, that’s technically not true…”

“Hey you tickle-brained boar-hogs! Are we going penguin sledding or not?”

So that's how Sokka was dragged away from the council room where he definitely hadn’t been hiding. They picked up Katara and Zuko on their way, and Sokka sneakily glanced at his friend. Zuko seemed completely fine, just his normal self. That was the curse of Sokka knowing him so well: if Zuko had really proposed the other day, he wouldn’t be this calm. 

Sokka hated the disappointment that followed. He couldn’t help imagining being married to Zuko: it was very similar to their usual life, except they could do all those things while holding hands (okay, not during council meetings, that’d be awkward). Soft images filtered through his mind: Zuko kissing him in the morning as he rose with the Sun, stealing a kiss from Zuko while they fed the turtle ducks, Sokka touching Zuko’s biceps when he practised his firebending forms half naked… okay, Sokka needed to focus.

The penguin seals started honking at their approach. Surprisingly, Toph had become the biggest fan of penguin sledding the last time she visited, but she would not go alone – someone always had to ride with her. Sokka offered to go with her first then, and his mood instantly improved at her shrieking laughter.

“Okay, now the real competition starts!

They had three penguin seals for the five of them. Toph suddenly grabbed Zuko's arm, Aang and Katara naturally paired up, so Sokka went alone. He didn’t mind, though; he weighed the lightest, so he reckoned his penguin would be the fastest. For a while, this held true – his penguin gained momentum, and Sokka whooped loudly as he took over the lead, glancing back with a smug grin at Zuko and Toph who were second. He laughed, finally feeling carefree, his only focus on winning this round.

Soon, however, he noticed that the Toph and Zuko duo was getting closer: Zuko was throwing flames to melt the surface of the ice, making it even and slippery.

“See you, suckers!” Toph shouted, right next to Sokka’s ear, and when he turned his head to complain, Zuko grinned at him, shooting another flame. They basically flew away.

_ Fuck, why was Zukko so hot? _ Was Sokka’s first thought, and then he started begging his animal companion. “Come on, Pengy, don’t leave me! We need to take over those cheaters.”

But the penguin seal couldn’t go any faster, and in the end even Aang and Katara had cheated, bending the ice to their advantage and passing Sokka.

“Cheaters! Cheaters, the lot of you!” Sokka yelled as he finally arrived, pointing an accusatory finger at everyone. 

“I thought you were the plan guy, so come up with something for the next round,” Katara laughed as she patted her penguin.

“Okay, next round I have to ride with a bender!” Sokka announced his first rule.

“Aang has to go alone, since he has an unfair advantage. I’ll go with Katara this time,” Toph declared with an impish grin, and then high-fived with Katara. “Girl power, heck yeah!”

Sokka knew what they were doing, and he glared at them.

“Guess that leaves me with you,” Sokka said, and Zuko smiled brightly at him.

Sokka sat in the front, Zuko behind him. He was so glad that his friend couldn’t see the blush on his cheeks. They were close, and though there were several layers of clothing between them, Sokka could still feel Zuko’s firebender warmth.

“We have to kick their asses,” he declared, looking at Zuko over his right shoulder.

“Obviously,” Zuko replied, the word brushing Sokka’s ear. “You keep an eye out for the others, and direct me when I should throw fire.”

“Deal.”

“Ready?” Aang asked.

Zuko leaned in, his arms encircling Sokka’s waist. Sokka’s soul was ready to ascend to the sky, but he managed to nod.

“Go, go!”

“Fire ahead!” He shouted to Zuko, wanting to gain an advantage on the others as soon as possible.

Sokka wasn’t discouraged by Aang’s airbending or Katara’s waterbending – although at first glance it seemed that their skills were more useful in this climate, Sokka had a plan. He distracted Aang with his boomerang. The Avatar managed to duck it, but of course he was boinked in the back of the head upon its return.

“Nice move!” Zuko told him when boomerang came back. “Just need to figure out something for Katara!”

Indeed, Toph and his sister had overtaken them; Katara’s arms moving in big, fluid motions and bending the ice.

“You have to focus your bending on one patch straight ahead in their way. Melt as much snow as you can, to trip them up!”

Zuko nodded, focusing his flame on a far away point in Katara’s way. Although he didn’t manage to melt everything, the track became lumpy and uneven enough to slow down their penguin seal. Next, Zuko just had to make their own way even, and Sokka basked in Zuko’s warmth and obvious delight, laughing with him as they got to the finish line first.

Katara, Toph and Aang were fuming.

“You cheated! You melted our path!”

“And you hit me with your boomerang!”

Sokka dismissed them. “That was  _ boomerangbending _ . Also, we’re not currently accepting complaints from losers.”

Although he got a faceful of snow from Katara for that, it was totally worth it. Out of habit, Sokka put his arm around Zuko’s shoulders who beamed at him.

“We make a good team.”

“Agreed,” Sokka said, and was unable to stop himself from glancing at Zuko’s lips. “Let’s check on the penguin seal cubs!”

After a good cuddling session - and Toph picking out her future penguin sledder for next year’s tournament – they all went home for dinner.

* * *

Despite Sokka thinking he’d been less anxious that day, he still found it difficult to fall asleep. His mind only seemed to focus on one person, and all the excruciatingly beautiful details about him. Zuko’s smile, his low whisper in Sokka’s ear, the soft look on his face when he picked up his favourite penguin seal cub. That old prophecy from Aunt Wu, according to which Sokka’s future was full of self-inflicted misery, seemed to come true.

He gave up on sleeping and went to the kitchen wrapped in one of his fur blankets. He almost screamed when he saw there was already somebody there in front of the fire.

“Tui and La, Katara! You scared me.”

“Oh sorry.”

“Can’t sleep?”

Katara shrugged. “Sometimes it’s difficult around the Full Moon.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Sokka had travelled a lot with Aang and Katara, even after the war.

“What’s keeping you up? Boyfriend issues?”

“Shut up.” Sokka glared at his sister, then sighed. “Fine, it is about Zuko.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

Sokka shook his head, then put some water to boil for tea. Maybe that would help with his insomnia. “It’s not like I can ask ‘Hey Zuko, did you actually propose to me or was this a coincidence?’ Imagine if it was a mistake, the poor dude would actually feel obliged to propose after, just to defend his honour.”

Katara snorted. “Okay, I get your point, but what if he actually proposed? He’s probably dying for your answer. He actually brought you an arctic violet, Sokka! That’s like the most romantic gesture ever!”

“He wouldn’t know about it, Katara.”

“Why not? He knows how to read! Or he could have asked someone! You’re not the only water tribe member he knows.”

Sokka sighed as he poured a cup of tea for Katara and then for himself. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was his awkward way of asking, to be honest,” Katara said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“You guys are always together, and whenever he sends us letters, he talks about you. And the way he looks at you… like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen. You like him too, right?”

“Katara, it’s not -”

“I mean, I know you do. You see him and you just can’t help it but smile.”

Sokka gave up. His sister knew him too well. “I do.  _ So _ much.” 

Katara bumped into his shoulder gently. “Talk to him tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Before we go to bed, can I ask for a favour?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“It’s about that cursed arctic violet.”

* * *

The next morning passed in a blur of last minute tasks, so Sokka didn’t even have time to think, much less to talk to Zuko. There were stalls to fix, schedules to rearrange due to illness or delays, and generally just answering a barrage of questions and avoiding his dad, who surely wanted to know whether his oldest child was engaged or not. His friends were helping out where they could: Katara was helping construct the stage, Zuko was starting fires for all the food stalls and the big bonfire, Toph was testing her students from the metalbending academy who were scheduled to do a demonstration later on, and Aang… well, Aang was probably chatting with various people, so Sokka guessed it could be considered diplomatic work.

By mid afternoon, however, they were all back to change into their festive garments. Sokka had just time to quickly wash and put trousers on before there was a knock on his door.

“Come in!”

Zuko poked his head in. “Hey, sorry… I just wondered if you could do those braids you did last time? But if you’re busy…”

“No, no, it’s okay, I’m almost done. Sit down,” Sokka pointed to his bed, wondering why Zuko was looking at him like that.

He shook his head, then put his shirt on. His own hair was still a mess, but he’d just brush it and tie it up. Sokka started wearing braids from time to time too, but he could forego them tonight since his dad would eat him alive if he was late.

When he turned around, Zuko held in his hand a little block of clear ice, the arctic violet suspended in its middle. He turned it towards Sokka with a surprised expression.

“I… uhm… I asked Katara to make it, to preserve the flower,” Sokka explained, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

It was also easier to hold it when Sokka was pacing in his room and wanted to shake it and ask  _ ‘But what do you mean?!’ _ .

Zuko stared at it, then placed it back on Sokka’s desk. “Have you had time to think about it?”

“Think about what?”

Zuko frowned. “Sorry, I thought the arctic violet meant that I’m asking your hand in marriage?”

Sokka opened his mouth, but no sound came out at first. “You knew the meaning?!”

Zuko looked at him funnily. “Yes, of course. It was in the scroll Bato gave me about marriage proposal traditions in the Southern Water Tribe. It said giving an arctic violet was the most noble way of proposing.”

“You gave me the violet as a way to ask me to marry you?” Sokka’s voice was getting embarrassingly high.

“Yeah.” Zuko’s face fell. “Shit, I should have gone with the sculpture, shouldn’t I?”

Sokka grimaced. “What? No, the sculpture tradition is stupid. But… you really want to marry me?”

“If you’ll have me.”

It was that unique instinct in Sokka which always made him run to Zuko that finally awoke again. Sokka practically launched himself at Zuko, who had gained enough experience in eight years to receive Sokka in his open arms. Sokka put his arms around Zuko’s neck, a few tears catching in Zuko’s fur collar. Zuko stroked the back of Sokka’s head, murmuring that everything was okay, holding him tightly.

Sokka let go, still stunned. “I’m sorry, I’m such an idiot. I just didn’t think you’d ever feel that way.”

Zuko smiled, squeezing Sokka’s arms. “Pretty sure I fell in love with you at Boiling Rock.”

“Yeah, me too,” Sokka laughed, surprised.

“Wow, we’re really idiots, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, at least we’re idiots together.”

Zuko laughed, wiping away a tear. “Okay, let me redo this.”

He went to Sokka’s desk, took the ice with the violet and then offered it to his friend. “Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, will you marry me?”

“Yes, a thousand times yes!” Sokka took the violet, its meaning no longer a secret. “Does it mean I can finally kiss you?”

Zuko didn’t reply, just held Sokka’s face, as they met in their first kiss. It was gentle and sweet, and Sokka wanted about a thousand more. Zuko seemed to think the same since he smiled against Sokka’s lips.

They were well into their fifth minute of intense kissing when there was a thump against the door. “I’m glad you finally fixed your romantic lives, but we’re running late.” Toph groaned. “You know what, just find us at the market when you’re done making out.”

Sokka and Zuko stared at each other, then broke into laughter. 

“I guess we need to hurry up,” Zuko sighed.

“Just one more kiss, future husband,” Sokka implored, Zuko rolling his eyes at the title, but obliging eagerly.

Sokka made Zuko sit down and braided the hair on his right side, clasping it with a blue bead. “Guess we’ll have to tell everyone.”

“You really think Toph didn’t rat us out?”

“Good point. I bet we’ll never hear the end of it.”

Ten minutes later, Sokka and Zuko showed up in the market holding hands. As expected, their friends and Bato teased them, and Sokka’s dad even cried a bit as he hugged them, but it was a wonderful experience. Then the festivities grabbed everyone’s attention, and Sokka had the best time, especially with Zuko by his side. 

And when the Midnight Sun and the Full Moon both rose high in the sky, Sokka kissed Zuko just as Agni’s gold and Yue’s silver light wove together over them. 

The spirits knew all about the secret language of arctic violets.

**Author's Note:**

> Sokka to Zuko: So does this mean I'm going to be FireLord 2?  
> Sokka: Wait, no! 2 Fire 2 Lord  
> Zuko: That's it, I'm breaking this engagement
> 
> Find me @butterfliesandresistance on tumblr :)


End file.
